Elk M1 Battery Not Charging

We had a power outage (for days) due to Irena. The power went back on, but, my Elk M1 was displaying a low battery, then the system went out completely. I've since replaced the battery, thinking maybe it couldnt hold a charge, but the new battery is not charging either. Any suggestions?

With a new battery, you will have to wait for a battery test at 4:00 PM or cycle power on the M1 for an immediate battery test. The 4:00pm test is a dynamic load test which resets the low battery indicator.

With a new battery, you will have to wait for a battery test at 4:00 PM or cycle power on the M1 for an immediate battery test. The 4:00pm test is a dynamic load test which resets the low battery indicator.

Thanks. It is still reporting a low battery after the power cycle. It seems the battery is not being charged. What charges it? Maybe it is faulty (BTW, the green light is displaying on the A/C Power transformer.

If you have a dc meter disconnect the battery and measure the voltage on the battery leads from the panel. Should be 13.5 to 13.8 (approx).

Thne measure the battery and see what it is. Should be over 13 after a day or so.

Also what size battery are you trying to charge? I have 2 of the 26 ah batteries on my panel. I went almost 5 days after hurricane But panel is not designed to charge them so i have to use a 1a charger for 2 days to recharge them.

If you have a dc meter disconnect the battery and measure the voltage on the battery leads from the panel. Should be 13.5 to 13.8 (approx).

Thne measure the battery and see what it is. Should be over 13 after a day or so.

Also what size battery are you trying to charge? I have 2 of the 26 ah batteries on my panel. I went almost 5 days after hurricane But panel is not designed to charge them so i have to use a 1a charger for 2 days to recharge them.

When you unplug the battery does the m1 go dead? If the m1 is still working then your AC input is obviously working and the m1 is able to use it.

Measure the voltage of the wires that go to the battery with the battery disconnected. If it measures more than 13v then it should be able to charge. 0 volts either means the Elk's charger is not functioning or it cycles and is currently off. If you do get good voltage, connect the negative terminal of the battery to the neg Elk wire. Use a multimeter with amp settings and touch it's red lead to the Elk's red and the multimeter black wire to the battery red. If there is current, then the battery is being charged presently. If there is virtually no current in the presence of 13 plus volts, then you have a fully charged battery (or a completely shot battery). I am sorry but I don't know the exact numbers. Possibly the battery manufacturer has that data available in graph form online. If not, you should be able to look it up for a generic lead acid battery of similar size. Here is a reference. http://batteryuniver...ad_acid_battery

The Elk probably has a battery maintenance program but I don't know what it is. In general, you don't want to keep a battery continuously charging after it is at full charge since it will shorten battery life. Chargers will measure the current going to the battery and from that know how charged the battery is. More current flowing to the battery equals a less charged battery. As the battery gets closer to fully charged the current drops. It is possible that Elk cycles the battery by only charging it for short periods of time once it hits a fully charged state. Probably it just drops the voltage to "float" level.

A new battery should come mostly charged. Every time I have put a new battery on an alarm it never gave me a low battery warning.

Disconnect the battery from the M1. Measure the voltage on the leads that normally connect to the battery. It should show 13.8 to 14.0 volts on the DC scale of the voltmeter. Anything less and the battery is not getting a charge.

Measure the voltage on the battery. It should read 13.5 to 13.8 volts after it has been on the M1 for a while.
The battery could have a bad cell and if it reads below 11.5 volts, the M1 will indicate a low battery.

The battery charger is a float charger and designed for a sealed lead acid battery to be attached all the time, holding the battery at a float charge voltage.

YES! The M1 dies. I replaced the battery and the system was fine for a day or so, then it went "Low Battery" and eventually died again.

Well there you have it. Your battery is going dead because your m1 is not getting ac power. Your battery was not bad, it just lost its charge becuase the m1 had no power. Hopefully it is just the wall wart for the m1 or a circuit breaker or a fuse. Put your multimeter across the two leads on your m1 where the wall wart connects and see what you get. I believe it should be 16.5vac. If you have power there, then it would be something wrong on the m1 board. You might just undo the wires and re-install them just to make sure you don't have a loose connection. I don't recall, but I bet there is a fuse on the m1, if there are, pull it out and check it on the ohm setting of your multimeter. It should read zero or nearly zero resistance.

If you don't have voltage at the m1 panel terminals, check the terminals on the wall wart itself. If no power there, make sure your outlet is functioning (stick your multimeter in the holes and look for 120vac). If no current there, check your circuit breaker or look for a popped gfci. If you have 120 at the plug and zero at the wall wart, you need a new wall wart.

The wall wart has a green light and I did check the connections. The outlet is fine (there is another wall wart pluged into it working). I'll check the voltage readings on the wall wart as soon as I get back to the house. If it is the wall wart, where is the best place to get one? Does anyone know if there is a fuse on the M1 panel? I did check a few days ago for that, but didnt see one. Should the M1 work without the battery if there is A/C power?